Diversity and Inclusion Collections in the Library

Subject pathfinder to new and existing collections supporting learning teaching and research in Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, Native American Studies, Latinx studies, and LGBT (Gender Studies)

New Electronic Resources 2016

The wide range of material included in American Indian Histories and Cultures presents a unique insight into interactions between American Indians and Europeans from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, right up to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. This resource contains material from the Newberry Library’s extensive Edward E. Ayer Collection; one of the strongest archival collections on American Indian history in the world.

1809-1971; consists of a large variety of collections from the U.S. National Archives, a series of collections from the Chicago History Museum, as well as selected first-hand accounts on Indian Wars and westward migration. This module focuses on American Indians in the first half of the 20th Century, a period that has not been studied in as much detail as the calamitous 19th Century. The two major collections on the 20th Century in this module are Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and records from the Major Council Meetings of American Indian Tribes. In addition to these 20th Century records, American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971 features a number of excellent collections on American Indians in the 19th Century, with a focus on the interaction among white settlers, the U.S. federal government, and Indian tribes.

1789-present; unique compiled docket histories provide researchers with the ability to quickly search the full text of all content related to each Indian claim. The compilation includes not only court documents, but also cites treaties, related congressional publications, and maps to facilitate the ability of researchers to fully understand the specifics of each case without leaving the docket history page. The inclusion of histories for both Court of Claims and Indian Claims Commissions dockets allows researchers to easily grasp the changes in the Indian claims process throughout U.S. history up to the present time. Trace by Indian Nation and/or geographic location.

Compiled histories for Indian Nation/Tribes allow researchers interested in the history of a specific Indian Nation to view all related treaties, maps, and court documents, or drill down quickly to see content related to a specific geographic location, time, or federally recognized tribe. The compiled page makes it easy for users to trace the journeys of the Indians as U.S. government Indian removal policies pushed them from their ancestral lands and forced them to relocate, as well as the determination of the tribes to gain standing in court to bring action against the U.S. Government to seek redress for inequities in the treaty process.

The primary source documents collected here in Frontier Life: Borderlands, Settlement & Colonial Encounters help us to understand existence and consequences on the various frontiers that arose from the movements of Europeans to Africa, Australasia and North America. The earliest documents in this collection are from the seventeenth century but the majority of the material originates from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The material covering North America covers the varied frontier regions from fur trappers in Canada to cowboys in Texas and government in Baja California. It is divided into the frontier regions of the American East, the American Midwest, the American Southwest, California & Mexico, and Canada. It covers the exploration of these regions followed by trade with native peoples, colonial rivalries, expansion of government and new nations and the final settlement and 'closing' of the frontier.

Africa is mainly represented by its frontiers of the south with the British colonial expansion into modern day South Africa. There are also excellent clusters of material relating to the exploration of West Africa and the colonial administration of Lagos.

The beginnings of European Australia and New Zealand are covered by British government documents, starting with Arthur Phillip and the penal colony at Sydney. The frontiers of other parts of Australia are also covered by documents from the UK National Archives and some material from Australian archives.

Finally, there is some material relating to Central America, specifically British Honduras (Belize), in the form of the George Arthur Papers. George Arthur’s career here relates to the other regions featured here as he spent time on the Canadian and Australian frontiers.

Existing Electronic Collections

This edition of North American Indian Drama contains 244 plays by 48 playwrights. More than half of the works are previously unpublished, and hard to find, representing groups such as Cherokee, Métis, Creek, Choctaw, Pembina Chippewa, Ojibway, Lenape, Comanche, Cree, Navajo, Rappahannock, Hawaiian/Samoan, and others.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Although it has not been separated out as a distinct category, the Harris Collection includes work by a wide range of Indigenous American poets and playwrights of the 19th and 20th centuries, comprising small press publications and broadsides that include the work of Indigenous American visual artists in addition to publications produced by the mainstream press. These items can be readily identified on an "author" or "title" search in JOSIAH.

The Hay Library's general collection of rare books includes many prose works by Indigenous American authors, as well as materials produced in or about Indigenous American languages. It is particularly strong on source materials for the 19th century.